04/18/2014

I first met fellow shrimp, Jenny Lefcourt, at the Dive Bouteille in 2002. Since then I’ve traveled with her, tasted, drank and danced with her.

Above, Jenny at 2011 Dive Bouteille, trying to get some sustenance.

Jenny Lefcourt, a woman blessed with twinkly eyes, a musical giggle and positive outlook, based her wine importing business on ethic and taste, not by what she could sell, way before it was fashionable.

But back at the turn of this century, in 2000 when she was just starting, Jenny & Francois, it was after having completed her doctorate in French Film. She and Francois were living in Paris, drank and loved the wine, the people, the philosophy, so they thought, why not let other people in the states drink them too? She started to commute back and forth then returned and settled back in New York City. She slowly went from couch to office, growing one step at a time. It was as simple as that.

The wines found a thirsty home with New York City drinkers and then with the rest of the States. Thanks to her work, and Francois (who now has a lesser role in the company) we drink and know Hervé Souhaut, Olivier Cousin, Claude Courtois, Eric Pfifferling, and other wine deities who are inscribed in the firmament of natural wine super-stars.

And what about the woman thing? "When we started," Jenny reflected, "most of the buyers were men. Now, its more than half women I would say. That has been a huge shift. There are certainly more women winemakers in France than there used to be. Certainly more women importers, the first major shift was in retail and restaurants. Its a huge revolution."

When I asked Jenny what were some of stickier things for her about being a woman, she was at first reluctant. She cited certain problems were more because of being short than her sex, but then she warmed up a bit. "There's this macho think about tasting all day until you drop and then following it up with more drinking, and personally, I can't keep up," she said. "Also, some people have a physical capacity to stand in cold cellars, and drink. I don't have that capacity. Whether it's a gender or a size issue, there's this macho thing in wine tasting. There's not a place for a woman to say, "I need to go inside. I need food. I'm cold. I need to pee. (A guy can just go to the nearest tree.) I've had enough to taste. Maybe I just need to speak up more but I never felt comfortable saying I'm done! If I were a man and I was done, would it be seen in the same light? I don't know.

But, what if women dominated the winemaking scene, would the culture be different?

A cogent question from the daughter of Carol Lefcourt, a prominent, celebrated activist and woman's rights lawyer. Jenny's mom died far too young, at 47 years of age, in 1991. Having such a powerful mother, one to be proud of, was one of the strongest influences on Jenny's life. It's no wonder that Jenny grew up equipped with the skills to navigate a man's world based on the foundation of equality. "I'm very much like my mother; soft spoken with strong opinions, and I'll fight for what I believed in."

These days Jenny is juggling being a mother and running a business, more skills from mom. She's having a hard time leaving her blue-eyes Zoe behind as she makes sure we all have enough Binner and Souhaut in our glasses, but she's finding her way. " There is a boys club out there for sure. But I don’t need to be in it. If people think I'm a wimp for getting cold, or being tasted out, that's okay." She adds, even though she is hard pressed to find overt evicence of sexism, she believes wine importing is a field in which it is still important to talk about women importers. There are stillnot a whole lot of us. We have to stick together.”

A very memorable, night in the Loire with two of my favorites--and Jenny proved she can indeed keep up and stay up, when she wants to!

04/04/2014

This is the last segment of the interview I did with Joe, in October of 2010, just after the death of Marcel Lapierre.

Listen on and you will hear a stunning and endearing apology to Jenny Lefcourt.

You'll hear him dish about carbonic maceration and its followers. You'll hear him talk about what is a palate who has a crappy one and what does it matter.

Veteran radio-man,Peter Z. had done the editing on these pieces, a difficult task, especially with the considerable Second Avenuen noise. During the sessions, I saw him growing closer to Joe. I'd often hear him burst out in laughter as he listened over and over to his words. I'd hear him imitate Joe's voice, like the "and now..." from tape #1. Joe was a force and remains one today.

If you hadn't heard the rest of the interview I encourage you to start with tape #1.

04/01/2014

At first I thought it was an April Fool's present, and it was kind of cool. Someone broke down the wine world according to taste and symbol in a most amusing and accurate way. Then I read the press release.It's legit. In fact Bosco Viticultori will present their commissioned box and its meaning at Vinitaly, Monday April 7th at 11:00 a.m.

According to the press release they contracted with Squadrati, a market research firm, to develop this 'tool' because "detecting these behaviours with clarity is essential to fix the strategies satisfying the many consumers’ requests and reacting to the negative trend characterizing the National market, and injecting a new value to the whole wine production chain."

Forget the run on sentence, I wish I were going to be there to see how this fascinating manga-like breakdown of the drinker is going to influence their marketing. What will they do? Produce a wine directed to each quadrant? Identify your wine critic most useful to the quadrant you want to reach and court them? For the radical wine, promote it through radical magazines and events? Would the socialite like to be told that they only like wine that is perceived as glitz and no substance? So, for instance, that would be the way they would woo McInerny who is writing about wine in Town & Country now, invite him to a Novello tasting and give him remedies for the hangover?

Let's see:

Radical wants purity and can accept surprises.

The Wine Snob, is the flip side of Radical, but likes predictable wine.

Down-to-earth, wants cheap.

Socialite is just the other side of the coin from Down-to Earth; wants chocolate milk posing as wine (this category seems squishy).

03/31/2014

Addendum: June 4th 2014. Verdict on the Olivier Cousin case, guilty of putting the name Anjou on the label, but his fine? 1 euro. And so to read more about the issues and the attorney who handled his case......

Impressed by the handling of the Olivier Cousin case, I stopped in to talk lawyer Eric Morain when last in Paris.

With a case of Frank Cornelissen 2009s resting against the wall, the avocat sat behind his desk in his art-filled office. His handsome-cherubic face is angled in by a gently silvering beard. Mail constantly beeped into his computer. With the help of my friend, Alon Rozen who is acting dean of the ENPC MBA, Paris, we started to talk about life, natural, Voltaire, French and wine.

Fraud was the primary issue in the case. Accused of sticking the region's name, Anjou on the bottle (as in Anjou Pur Breton), Cousin then removed it from the label and snuck it on the cork.

Because Cousin left the appellation and bottles under Vin de France (wine-can-come- from-anywhere de France) it is forbidden to put his wine's origin on the label.

This might be fine for industrial wine, where the grapes can be culled from anywhere in the country, even from someone's bathtub. But what about wine such as Cousin's, that come from his own biodynamically grown grapes from land in the family for generations? After all, his wines are ones that have raised the reputation of Anjou.

I was curious whether this trial could change future wine law. Could the findings, if Cousin was successful, change the laws of Vin de France to permit place on the label? In fact, could the case lead to a way to separate the industrial Vin de France from the artisinal?

Morain assured me nothing could change. "We are not trying to prove he is innocent, he is not." The lawyer sounded very talmudic when he added, "Here the argument is about the spirit of the law, not the law itself. We can't win the case, but we can win a reduced fine."

The irony of the case was prominent for Morain. "I call this the boomerang effect," he said. "Terroir is monopolized by the AOC, and they’re using it as a boomerang against Olivier. They appropriated the notion of terroir, they stole it. Today Anjou is an artificial notion of the region." Then he added, "Do you know that someone is also being sued for creating Anjou cola?" He shook his head at the absurdity.

The AOC and the Wine Fraud Committee is in attack dog mode of late. Morain knew of ten court cases currently threatening French vignerons and cavistes. He missed representing Emmanuel Giboulot's (forced spraying case )because he was on vacation at the time. But there are others coming and Morain will be trying four of them before June.

Take Saint Aubin vigneron Dominque Derain. He is in hot water for bottling his 2012s fifteen days earlier than the AOC allowed. He will most likely have to rebottle his most prestigious bottles, Pommard and Gevrey as a Vin de France and pay a to –be-determined fine.

The other case Morain referred to was that of the Toulouse caviste and bar à vin, Les Temps des Vendanges. Very much like the Enoteca Bulzoni case in Rome, they were hauled in for deceiving the public because of their signage that stated natural wine.

“We might as well be North Korea. Imagined that this is happening in the country of Voltaire!"

French hero, Voltaire exalted the concept of human freedom and argued that argued that no authority should be immune from challenge by critical reason. Ironic indeed.

While Cousin's and Derain's cases are about illegal labeling, the issues as Morain sees it is all about the attack on natural wine. He pointed out that under the European Union, the word nature and natural had been so codified that its meaning has become polluted and destroyed and France has done nothing to protest. In addition, this codification is only extreme for wine. "For example, if you can write natural on a yogurt even if its industrial and packed with chemical ingredient. The word natural is only denied to wine. If the word 'naturel' is going to be allowed for wine, it is France who would have to go to Brussels and petition for a change, not the individual."

Listening to Morain, the fashionable Avenue Montaigne was just outside his window, the image of Kronos eating his sons came to me.

Was France eating its natural winemakers just as Kronos ingested his progeny? After all, the Fraud committee, the INAO had been in attack mode. InterLoire the marketing arm of the region had just published a map of the region omitting Bourgueil, Montlouis, Fiefs Vendéens and Cheverny. Yes, France as Kronos, it made sense to me. that France was very much like the Titan who ate his sons fearful they would grow up to kill their father. But France has it wrong. The vin naturel folk are not killing French wine, they are saving it.

It is because of producers such as Cousin that the Loire has become so well known. It is because of those working naturally that depressed areas like the Muscadet have started to proper and thrive. It is why Anjou, dominated by commercial, chemical producers, that the area has new life. It are these wines and producers who have captured a generation that was on the verge of decamping to vodka. Go to Brussels? No, Morain said, it won't happen.

Morain said that his client was not trying to be a spokesperson of a movement. He was not trying to attack the AOC. "Look, 10-15 years ago, when the natural wine movement became this 'thing,' the AOCs looked internally. "They started to protect itself from anyone who wanted to do something different, and this meant natural wine."

Morain said, Cousin had this idea to create a new category for artisinal wines. This thought keeps on coming up. Last week I heard that Claire Naudin in Burgundy is working with the BIVB to form a new definition of wine, one that can have the Appellation but would have a sticker that would say something like not typical for the AOC but worthy. Cousin beliving that was the answer as well, went to do something about it.

At the beginning of this court affair he and another vigneron, Bernard Belhassen of Domaine Fontedicto, paid the consumer protection office on the national level a visit. "They walked in to the meeting with seven administrators with magnums of their wines. They wanted to show them what natural wine meant. What it tasted like.The first question the council ask him was how many people do you hire and how many people they represent?

Morain laughed at this concept. "The administrators used the winemaker's artisinal qualities as a flaw," Morain said. "These people are individuals who don't have the time to organize into a group. How many people work naturally in France? There's no number. No one is tracking this. They dont represent money so to the council, they don't count."

But they were not unsympathetic, merely clueless. Morain said the administrators retorted, "What are you talking about? Bio wine was passed in the EU. Aren't you happy?"

He saw me look over at the Cornelissen. "Do you know the wine?" He asked. Of course I did.

"We both know," he said, "that once you start hanging out with people who like to drink and make natural wine you understand the difference with the other wines. People who don’t drink natural wine have no idea what it is and they attack it. What is needed is education. But the alcohol lobby is so powerful, they’ll never allow the education. That’s why the confusion between organic and natural is so profound, people aren’t allowed to know."

The only answer he said, was an ingredient label. "The wine of France is the only food product that doesn’t have to list ingredients. Even mineral water has to have ingredients. If the five big chateaus had to list what they put in, this could threaten the whole wine establishment."

At the end of the 45-minutes, as we were leaving, he surprised me by telling me that he had read my books. I was touched and highly flattered. Morain, despite his fancy 8th arrondissement address defends the little guy, the individual who is working with a horse and adds nothing. He himself came to natural wine a few years back though Omnivore food events. "I met the winemakers, drank the wines and realized that few people were focusing in wine law, an no one was on the side of the small vignerons," he explained.

They might not be his best paying clients, but he does get to drink well and sleep well at night, knowing he's upholding the ideals of Voltaire and the truth of France.

03/27/2014

Readers! I am really sorry. I am so missing in action. I am putting all of my effort into my newsletter, which I hope you sign up for. Getting that up and running has scrunched me. But I'll try to stay better in touch. There are indeed stories that are more suitable for a free-for-all posting. So, stay tuned for more in the women importer series, articles on Australia and some on my time at Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne.

Like this one.

Where are you on organic or synthetic?

Last week, in the crazy warm weather in France, I randomly questioned vignerons and bureaucrats. How did they feel about the mandatory insecticide treatment to the vineyard aimed at Pierce's Disease (flavescence dorée) and Emmanuel Giboulot's refusal to spray?

A Biodynamic producer, concerned about the environment, if the Pyrévert was bad for the bees, it was bad for Manu. Even the BIVB was sympathetic to the vigneron's fight. They knew that a better course of prevention was needed, but, "Every one must do it."

I heard much frustration concerning the lack of alternative treatment research. Where were the findings in natural predators, for example. I did see, however, plenty of sceptiscm when the topic of 'natural' remedies came up, expecially about the clay and ferns used by a couple of vignerons in the Savoie.

But I did also get an earful from many about Pyrévert's damage to the environment. In specific human skin and death to bees were at the top of the list. Indeed, one could understand Manu not spraying.

Claire Naudin, a sensible vigneronne and mother to beautiful wines, has both sustainable and organic vines. The organic are in the prime real-estate of Vosne. There she sprayed the flower-based chemical. "I covered up protectively, but for days my body was covered in burns from it. In the Macon they warned people to stay inside when the vines were being sprayed, but in the Côte d'Or, there was no such warning," she told me with characteristic outrage.

She was in favor of the systemic spray she was able to use on her Haute Côte vines. "You can use less and it's not as harmful."

Claire is typical of many that choose to work in sustainable viticulture, choosing to make one chemical treatment than several for organic. But when pushed, her sympathy was still with Emfind Giboulot, who learns how much he will be fined, or whether he will go to jail, in the first week of April. The worst I heard, in fact, was that a few believe Giboulot's lawyer was a bit of an ambulance chaser. In the end, most view him as brave, and without his challenging the system there would be no effort in finding a better, more natural solution.

Claire was one who was frustrated with the lack of progress. " When I was in school, the disease was the topic of my thesis. We all knew it was coming, but did anyone do anything about it?"

So, is this disease another scourge from mono-culture? Would this exist in a world of true biodiversity? Am I being naive or shall we put back the peach trees in the vineyard? This in-breeding of vines, the same children, the same clones, close relative having sex with one another, it really---well, you know.

03/19/2014

Last month I was at Rootstock in Australia where that natural wine fair ruffled more than a few feathers, it was beautifully pulled off by founder Giorgio di Maria, James Hird and Mike Bennie (and some very specific help from others). Visionaries and great men and women!

I didn't realize that the article David Roe wrote was going to focus so fiercely on me. He uncovered a comment about me I never knew of, " a hand-grenade in a dress with a short fuse," but I think he did a fabulous job, and so posted here.

03/02/2014

This is the second of three posts of my last recorded conversation--interview--with the late, great, wine importer, Joe Dressner.

The setting was a noisy 2nd Avenue at the Altas Café You'll want to listen in order, so head here for the first part Joe Dressner, 2010 interview. You'll want to pay particular attention to Joe's comments on the future of natural wine, somewhere about 14 minutes into the 15+ of our conversation. Also you'll hear Joe go on about Bernard Pontonnier. For more insight, read what Bert Celce had to report. The final section will be posted in April. In the meantime, here you go.

02/24/2014

As I write this, burgundian vigneron Emmanuel Giboulot is in a Dijon after the masses showed up for peaceful show of support.

The passionate Biodynamic vigneron is being prosecuted by a branch of the French agriculature ministry for failing to apply a mandatory insecticide treatment to his vineyard aimed at Pierce's Disease (flavescence dorée). Well known in California as well, this vine killer is spread by the cicadelle, the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus akaglassy-winged sharpshooter.

Pyrevert, the questionable treatment in question is derived from nature. Yet it is not with out danger. If you follow the link, the product guidelines clearly states the chemical is highly dangerous to aquatic systems and animals. For the human? Read the precautions for handling. My eyebrows are raised. See more in this Scientific American article.

When you're talking about a committed grower like Giboulot, refusal to spray seems not only reasonable but unquestionable

Last month in the Loire, at the biodynamic tasting Le Renaissance, I went over to taste with him and to see how he was holding up. Where was the official support from Renaissance, I wanted to know. What were the others doing besides providing signatures? Were they in fear of being discovered for disobedience themselves? After all, Burgundy is filled with small biodynamic farmers who also refuse to spray. Some of the biggest names in Burgundy, Domaine Romanée Conti, Domaine Leroy, Bonneau du Matray, Pierre Morey suffered the same threat. He assured me he was not alone, but most of the work was being done behind closed doors.

A few steps down the room stood a Crumb-like, Mr. Natural-ish bearded vigneron from the Macon. He, an activist is also involved in the underground effort. "The best way head off the Agriculture Department," he said, "is to buy a bottle of the stuff. Empty the container (safely) and display it to the official. Then pass it on to your neighbor."

A Merry Prankster method? Perhaps. Effective? Sure. But ultimately to make change, a them against us tactic might not be the best and change is needed. The rise of disease (and yes, this is personal opinion) is the effect of the monoculture and chemical-based vine growing. All you have to do is see grapes growing in the wild, as I did in Georgia. 400- year -old -vines, resplendant in health with many bunches. One had to wonder, did grape disease exist in the forest? Where the vines are in a healthy state, the threat of disease is greatly decreased. The trick is to mimic nature as much as possible when the vines are cultivated.

In talking to Domaine Montchovet, Joelle said, "Any of us could have been prosecuted. He is standing for us all."

01/23/2014

Click the above to listen to the interview. It runs about 14 minutes, and terribly sorry but if you pause, it will cycle back to the beginning. Be advised: my server is glitchy with IOS devices and audio.

Back in 2010 I was just about to deliver my manuscript of Naked Wine. At the time Joe Dressner was a year away from death and was fighting with many, me included. But I wanted something from him, quotes and stories from our past to add to the book.

Nope.

Instead he insisted we do a formal taped interview and I could only use information from that hour. Okay, I said. I'll buy you lunch.

By the time we sat down for his lunch outside of Café Atlas on Second Ave., NW had been submitted. I knew however it was an opportunity I couldn't miss. The material recorded never made it to print.

It took me close to three years to bring myself to listen to the tape. There's just too much good here--history, opinion, personality-- for me to hold back from publishing it. Here it is in three parts, with all of the warts, both Joe's and my own.

Big shout out of thanks to Peter Zanger, ( radio legend, as Leonard Lopate calls him), for carving out something audible from my pathetic iPhone recording, for the skillful mixing and editing out Joe's chewing (don't worry, we left enough in for color), and guiding me through the process. So, to all who miss Joe's voice, I give you, Part 1

Joe at Baldo Cappellano's, 2006 or 2007

If you have questions on the content and about some of the facts, please leave a comment below. Not everything Joe said here was factual, was he testing us? See if you can catch them.

01/20/2014

Jeanne Marie is the Madame de Champs who created the exporting house, Domaine et Saveurs Collection, consisting of a slew of very fine estates, mostly but not exclusively in Burgundy. Through the years she has been a constant presence at tastings and stays off the radar as far as print. So, I thought it was time to change that a little.

**

Years ago when I wanted to visit two terrific domaines in Burgundy, Domaine Bart in Marsannay and Domaine Lafouge in Auxey, I asked David Lillie of Chambers Street Wines, who to contact. He smiled a strange smile, and said, “Ah, Jeanne Marie!” (I am still trying to get out of him what David meant.--but this just in from him. " I don't know if this is a male/female difference, but I would say that she has less "ego" involved with her selections that most. If you don't like one of her producers, OK that's not your style. How do old, skinny, balding retailers differ from young, skinny jean, beany-wearing retailers?")

Jeanne Marie de Champs, grew up with her three brothers in the farmlands of the Loire, not far from the vines of Sancerre. She studied business in Paris. She knew wine was in her future and planned for it, tasting along with Stephen Spurrier. After marrying, as it happens a Burgundian négoce, she headed down to Burgundy where she started her exporting company, Domaines et Saveurs Collection in 1994.

J-M a few years back with me @ Lafouge

She never sought vigneron through a dogma but through instinct. Examples of those she worked and works with? Bernard Michelot, André Cournut, Monsieur L Gouroux, Mr Porcheret at Hospices de Beaune, Paul Pernot, Francois Lamarche, Guy Amiot, S. Pitiot, Jean Meo, R.Rapet, more recently P. Frick in Alsace. P.Savoye in Beaujolais, Piat in Bordeaux as well as the organic and biodynamic Chateau Couronneau. She learned from them all, especially having had the experience of magical tastings with J. Lardière. For Jeanne Marie, gravitates towards those who eye wine more naturally. Indicative of what she looks for is having rejected wines made according to the Accad -mania.*

Being a woman never posed any difficulties for her. From my standpoint, she has height going for her, with about a foot or more over me. Height does make a difference in the way the world perceives you. She also believes that being brought up in a male environment--three brothers, many male cousins and male colleagues--she had to be a tom boy, learn how to fight and to play with men. “If some winemakers spent time with me because I was a woman, it might be so,” she wrote to me. She also added that she was not afraid to pull on boots and go into the vines during rain. Nothing like not being afraid of the mud to demonstrate one's seriousness.

Still, she says there are international differences. “In France being a woman might be more challenging than America. China, and some countries which have not yet fully accepted women having an opinion and expressing it because of their know-how it's still an issue. But it will be changing soon. But," she added, "no matter where we are, women have to be better than good.

She admits she might have benefitted from those who came befor her. “Not too long ago a woman in a wine cellar in Burgundy was a woman on a boat. It brought bad luck. But women like Martine Saunier and Becky Wasserman have opened the doors for that change.You have now a women wine maker association on each region of France (Anne Parent, was the starting point in Burgundy). You have father who gave their responsabilities to their daughters sometimes not because they had no son, but because they believe in them ;Veronique Drouhin, Claire Naudin, Nathalie Lamarche, Elodie Michelot, CL. Jobard, B. Dubois.

Jeanne Marie leaves us with this advice: "Always taste through every wine no matter how tired you are! ” She learned this after a while back, organizing a newspaper tasting. She was so tired she didn’t taste 108. Of course that one was corked. It still bugs her. Finally, she says, "Be happy, be passionate, listen and respect the experiences of growers. This is not industrial work. Wine as a final product is like like a Lego between terroir, vineyard work, weather, decision at harvest, risk of wine-making, risk during the élevage. It’s all connected by timing.”

“Sorry Alice,” she wrote to me, “I am sure I am conventional, (no Jeanne Marie, you are not!) but we have to find a equilibrium between our work which could be day (selling/ tasting) and night,( dinner, receptions… and family) and our children. 2 jobs? That’s nothing, multi-tasking is also our woman’s nature!

** Guy Accad was a controversial consultant who worked in the late eighties and nineties and was quite the fashion at the time. As Jeanne Marie said, his system pushed ripeness, and long-cold soaks for extraction and color. "The system worked fine in warm and dry years like 1989 and 1990 but in years like 1991, it was a disaster."

I'm hunting the Leon Trotskys, the Philip Roths, the Chaucers and the Edith Whartons of the wine world. I want them natural and most of all, I want them to speak the truth even if we argue. With this messiah thing going on, I'm trying to swell the ranks of those who crave the differences in each vintage, celebrate nuance and desire wines that make them think, laugh, and feel. Welcome.

And, if you'd like a signed copy of either THE BATTLE FOR WINE AND LOVE OR HOW I SAVED THE WORLD FROM PARKERIZATION or NAKED WINE, feel free to contact me directly.